Culture

Cadogan Hall presents concerts of classical and popular music in
Sloane
Street.The Royal Albert Hall is a large venue for music and sports
events. The are a number of fine art auctioneers located in
Knightsbridge including Bonhams, together
with many smaller boutiques.

Economy

Knightsbridge is home to many expensive
shops, including the department stores Harrods — the largest in Europe and owned by Mohamed Al-Fayed, Peter
Jones — the traditional haunt of Sloane Rangers, and Harvey Nichols — made famous by the antics of
Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone in BBC satire
Absolutely Fabulous.
Knightsbridge is noted as the home of flagship stores for many
British and international fashion houses. The renowned London-based
shoe designers Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blahnik are based here. There are two
Chanel stores in the area, alongside banks
for high net worth individuals, including Coutts — bankers to the Queen, rumoured to reject
any potential clients worth less than £5 million. Some of London's
most renowned restaurants are here, as are many exclusive hair and
beauty salons, antiques and antiquities dealers, and a clutch of
chic bars and clubs.

Property

Knightsbridge is home to many of the world's
richest people. It has some of the highest property prices in
the world. Fourteen out of the top 200 most expensive streets in
Britain are in Knightsbridge (Source: The Times, 2007). The district is leafy,
especially so considering its location at the heart of London, with
houses and apartment buildings, some with private gardens. It is
also adjacent to Inner London's largest public park, Hyde Park. In
2006, a four bedroomed apartment in Knightsbridge sold for over
£25,000,000, and on street car parking spaces sell for £300,000 on
a 94 year lease. In February 2007, the world's most expensive
apartment at One Hyde Park, sold off plan for
£100,000,000, and has been bought by a Qatari
Prince. The development is valued in excess of £4,000 per
square foot (£43,000 per square metre).

Knightsbridge is mostly made up of strictly controlled Conservation Areas and development land
is difficult to find. Most properties offered by developers are
refurbished flats and houses. Many of these now have huge basement
extensions, accommodating an eclectic range of facilities from
swimming pools to private nightclubs.

Derek Quinlan's private equity fund, Quinlan Private purchased of prime retail
commercial property from the BP Pension Fund in
2005. This estate stretches along Knightsbridge
from Harrods to Harvey
Nichols. It is understood that this part of
Knightsbridge, which includes some of the world's most expensive
retail properties, will shortly be subject to substantial
re-development.

Crime and terrorism

For centuries the area was renowned as the haunt of highwaymen,
robbers and cut throats targeting travellers on the western route
out of London. The fortunes of Knightsbridge were transformed in
the 19th century. The area has often been a target for high-profile
crime. In
1980, the Iranian
Embassy siege took place in Knightsbridge, lasting several
days.It ended when the Special Air
Service stormed the building on live television.In 1983,
three Christmas shoppers and three Metropolitan Police officers,
evacuating the store, were killed by an IRAcar-bomb
placed outside Harrods. In
1987, the Knightsbridge Security
Deposit centre was the target of a robbery and the thieves left
with a hoard worth £60 million. In 2005, 22-year-old beautician
Clare Bernal was gunned down by her stalker and ex-boyfriend Michal
Pech on the shopfloor of Harvey Nichols in front of colleagues and
shoppers, before Pech fatally turned the gun on himself. Many
residential buildings are heavily covered by CCTV and are staffed by security guards, while railings
or bars on lower floor windows are commonplace.